Law Commons^™

A Voice For “The Small”: Judicial “Meetings” In Custody And Access Disputes, Carolyn Savoury

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Suppressing Damages In Involuntary Parenthood Actions: Contorting Tort Law, Denying Reproductive Freedom, And Discriminating Against Mothers, Bruce Feldthusen

Canadian Journal of Family Law

"Involuntary parenthood" actions are negligence actions, usually medical malpractice cases involving a failed sterilization, inadequate warning about the risks of pregnancy, or a failed abortion. In Canada, they will soon also involve product liability claims against negligent birth control manufacturers, providers and regulators. This article considers whether the parents' damages ought to include the cost of raising the child. No Canadian appellate court has ever ruled on this point, although it has been adjudicated extensively by the highest courts elsewhere in the common law world. At least 7 different rules limiting such recovery have been endorsed in the Canadian lower …

A Relational Model Of Family Lawyering: Exploring The Potential For Education, Practice, And Research, Jill Howieson, Lynn Priddis

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This article responds to what seems to be a "hot" millennium topic in the family law environment—namely the nature of the relationship between the family lawyer and the client. It proposes a model of family lawyering that puts the relationship with the client explicitly in the foreground of the process and suggests a research regime that could investigate the merits of the model. The authors refer to the model as a "relational model of family lawyering." The model involves family lawyers working within a partnering framework that incorporates attention to the relational aspects of the process, and in particular, to …

Establishing Canada's First Integrated Domestic Violence Court: Exploring Process, Outcomes, And Lessons Learned, Rachel Birnbaum, Nicholas Bala, Peter Jaffe

Canadian Journal of Family Law

The establishment of domestic violence courts has resulted in significant improvements in responses to family violence, but these courts have generally dealt only with criminal cases and do not address the risks that the victim and children may face in family proceedings. In some locations in the USA, courts have been established to deal with both criminal and family proceedings that arise from a domestic violence situation. This paper describes and analyzes the establishment of the first court in Canada that hears both criminal and family cases concerning families where there are domestic violence issues. The authors report on a …

A V B And Attorney General Of Quebec (Eric V Lola)—The Implications For Cohabiting Couples Outside Quebec, Natasha Bakht

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Protecting Survivors Of Domestic Violence Within The Insurance Regime: Opportunities To Seek Termination Or Variation Of Insurance Contracts, Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey

Canadian Journal of Family Law

A person whose life is insured under a life insurance contract for the benefit of another person does not have a contractual or common law right to terminate or otherwise affect the terms of the contract. As well, such contracts remain valid even after termination of the relationship that provided an insurable interest at the commencement of the contract. The existence of a life insurance contract might provide an incentive for the policy owner/beneficiary to cause harm to the insured person in order to collect the insurance money. Recovery of the insurance money is precluded on grounds of public policy …

Assisted Conception And Equality Of Familial Status In Parentage Law, Wanda Wiegers

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This article provides an in-depth analysis of outcomes in parentage disputes involving assisted conception across Canada. Throughout this article, I draw on equality of status, familial security and equity in terms of gender and sexual orientation as norms or values that should underlie and guide the legal regulation of parenthood in the context of reproductive technologies. Throughout, I also compare and contrast the sources of and the implications for children and parents of resistance in law towards the abolition of illegitimacy and the regulation of assisted conception.

Consent, Coercion, And Shared Parenting: Ruffudeen-Coutts V Coutts, Susan B. Boyd

Canadian Journal of Family Law

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Canadian Legal Approaches To Frozen Embryo Disputes, Stefanie Carsley

Canadian Journal of Family Law

This article examines and critiques Canadian legal responses to disputes over frozen in vitro embryos. It argues that current laws that provide spouses or partners with joint control over the use and disposition of embryos created from their genetic materials and that mandate the creation of agreements setting out these parties' intentions in the event of a disagreement or divorce overlook the experiences of women who undergo in vitro fertilization treatment. It also maintains that these laws do not accord with how Canadian law and public policy has responded to similar conflicts between spouses, or to agreements that seek to …